WASHINGTON (CNN) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton carefully side-stepped questions today about whether the United States would drop its long-standing insistence that Iran halt its nuclear enrichment program before any talks with the United States.
"We have not dropped or added any conditions," Clinton said at a State Department picture-taking session. But she repeated that the U.S. wants dialogue and engagement with Iran.
She had just met with European Union official Javier Solana who formally had extended an invitation for Iran to join talks with the U.S. and its allies. Clinton said there had been no response to the invitation. But meanwhile inside Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seems to be signaling Washington that talks are possible and that he soon may respond.
"We are looking to have an engagement with Iran but we haven't seen anything that would amount to any kind of proposal at all," Clinton said. "We will continue to work with our allies to make it clear that Iran cannot continue to pursue nuclear weapons."
"We will stand behind the sanctions that have already been implemented and we will look for new ways to extend collective action vis a vis Iran's nuclear program. At the same time we have made it clear to the Iranians …that we are open to engagement with them," Clinton added.
From CNN Politics
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why would they?? they wants us dead, who does this administration think they are? thay all hate us and will never unserstand our democracy...
All of this while a us citizen is being tried for espionoge.
If this plan of a bank for fissile material goes into effect and the Iranians denounce it, then their intentions will be clear, and Israel will undoubtedly declare war.
Clinton said. "We will continue to work with our allies to make it clear that Iran cannot continue to pursue nuclear weapons."
....
You think there has been a MISUNDERSTANDING with Iran?
NEWSFLASH: Iran has heard you, Mrs Clinton, and don't care what YOU or your President say.
Like North Korea, Iran will develope there weapons because they KNOW this new US Administration is all talk – no action.
Contrary to popular opinion, we're the only country that has actually dropped the bomb on another society. So this will be hard for us to tell another country not to develop a nuclear program.
They heard you. They don't care. They still want to kill Americans.
How long before Obama realizes that it is not in the US's interest to talk with someone committed to your distruction.
ray ray you are so right...it 's better we don't engage them so that they can develope their weapons without us having a clue of what they are doing...you know, just like the last 8 years. Then, just like we were a couple of months ago, we can all be surprized when we learn that they are closer to have these happens then we thought.
Great plan / idea ray ray...you should run for office.
I think every American needs to take a few history classes regarding why Iran hates us so much:
1. The US put the Shah into power. His reign made Saddam Hussein look like a Boy Scout.
2. Who gave Saddam the weapons to kill nearly 1 million Iranians in the Iran/Iraq War? The United States did.
3. Does the USS Vincennes ring a bell? If not, look it up.
The Iranian leadership has a healthy distrust of the US.
I don't hate the common Iranian, so I'd be naive to think the common Iranian would hate me. Using words like "All" "never" "hate" makes you look foolish and it's the reason why they "hate" us. This paranoid wing of the country is all old out-dated thought, let's break the ice so we can live in a better world.
Some people are to simplistic in thinking. The reason for them to extend there hand in friendship two fold. If they accept then we bring the world peace and joy. if they don’t we can say we tried to work with them, but since they refused we will whip them off the face of they earth, and bring peace and joy to the world.
RR April 15th, 2009 5:45 pm ET
Contrary to popular opinion, we're the only country that has actually dropped the bomb on another society. So this will be hard for us to tell another country not to develop a nuclear program.
__________________________________
Yup... that was in WWII, 65 years ago. Tragic, but it saved 1 million American lives and at least 5 times that number of Japanese.
Ever hear of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty? Newsflash – it's a UN treaty. You see, the entire WORLD doesn't want proliferation, not just the US.
We cannot stop Iran from having a nuclear program, as long as it's under the guise of the NPT and the International Atomic Energy Comission. The Iranians don't want to play by those rules.
Now go put your crayons away.
How funny! We want exactly the same thing the Iranians want now. Just to talk... Looks like we now have lots in common! How pleasant! LOL!
@ Slowgun writes,
" It's better we don't engage them so that they can develope their weapons without us having a clue of what they are doing…you know, just like the last 8 years."
--
Oh I seeee.... yes we should be "engaging" them. You mean like the Bill Clinton years when Saddam Hussein was toying with the UN, Inspectors, and the rest of the world?
Because THAT worked so well.
*eyes rolling*
The fact is... while Clinton and Obama are fiddling with UN resolutions and playing phone tag with the Iranians... Israel will soon eliminate the threat of Iran having nuclear weapons.
Talk = Iraninan Nuclear weapon
Action = Destroyed Iranian Nuclear Program
Sorry if the TRUTH makes you a little uncomfortable.
It's about time !! After 8 years of diplomatic diarrhea from the Bush regime, we need to start an honest and fresh dialogue with the Iranians. Hillary and Obama are bringing pride and respect back to our tarnished American foreign policy. God bless President Obama and our first class Secretary of State Madam Clinton.
Yes We can !!! Yes We Will !!!
Talking with Iran and their ilk is not necessarily going to solve anything. It's just that nothing will ever be solved until we all start talking!
Iran don't want anything to do with the U.S, so they really need to stop trying to engage in activty with them, because it's only going to lead to self destruction. I do beleive that Iran has halt its nuclear enrichment program before any talks with the U.S.. Why would they tell us, when they don't like us; it will be just another surprise again and Hillary knows what's really going on thats why she side stepped the question. It's obvious that Iran dont want anything to do with us, so lets just leave them alone and stop sending invitation and just be on the look out.
WE CAN HAVE NUKES BUT YOU CAN'T!
Wait a second.... the only nation to ever drop nuclear bombs killing hundreds of thousands of innocent people is telling other nations they can't have nukes????
Slowgun. These guys in Iran and N. Korea are committed. Talk will do nothing because they will lie through their teeth to keep the weapons they develop until they are ready to put missiles over the Sea of Japan or the Persian Gulf.
RR–we may have been the only country that has ever used the atomic bomb–but it ended WWII and saved hundred thousands of American lives.–and we had already sacrificed enough of our Military men and women
You better play right Iran... or Hillary will be very upset with you and might even sign a declaration saying so.
Be warned
Yesterdays enemies are today's allies that's how it's always been, hate isn't eternal, we can change it.
Jay by not talking we have no idea what they are up to.
I'm not saying we need to coddle up to them, But over the last 8 years we refused to get involved and then suddenly we are surprised by the progress they made with these weapons. That didn't seem to work very well they became closer to having these weapons in the last 8 years then they were during Clinton's years...That is a fact.
Clinton used other nations to do our bidding. Bush just wanted to play chicken with them and it looks like he lost.
Hillary is doing a good job. She may be the first woman prez yet.